affinity

Main Entry:: af·fin·i·ty
Pronunciation:: \ə-ˈfi-nə-tē\
Function:: noun
Inflected Form(s):: plural af·fin·i·ties
Etymology:: Middle English affinite, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French affinité, from Latin affinitas, from affinis bordering on, related by marriage, from ad- + finis end, border
Date:: 14th century

1: relationship by marriage2 a: sympathy marked by community of interest : kinship b (1): an attraction to or liking for something <people with an affinity to darkness — Mark Twain> <pork and fennel have a natural affinity for each other — Abby Mandel> (2): an attractive force between substances or particles that causes them to enter into and remain in chemical combination c: a person especially of the opposite sex having a particular attraction for one3 a: likeness based on relationship or causal connection <found an affinity between the teller of a tale and the craftsman — Mary McCarthy> <this investigation, with affinities to a case history, a psychoanalysis, a detective story — Oliver Sacks> b: a relation between biological groups involving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common origin

synonyms see attraction

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